*Sigh* When it comes to our red-head - you're all incorrigable...
Ok... so... what happens next...?
Enjoy
Lucy
Chapter 43
Unaware of the reason behind Horatio’s question Ehliena thought carefully, for some reason Horatio seemed to find her answer to this particular question very important. She answered him as truthfully as she could. “I don’t know, I guess it would depend on the other person and how well I knew them.”
She dropped her head for a moment, “I certainly wouldn’t reject them if I thought they were sincere in their feelings – I would just be a little cautious; take things slowly until we were both sure that we were doing the right thing.”
“Well, would you take up a relationship… with Will for instance – you two are very close…”
“Oh lord, heavens no…”
Horatio was surprised at her vehement answer, “Why?”
“Apart from the fact that he’s dating my cousin?” Horatio nodded. Ehliena sighed, “I’ve known Will for longer than anyone else on the Enterprise – when he first dated Deanna I was in my teens… and insisting on going everywhere with them. Deanna thought it was cute… Will wasn’t so happy about it; I was the kid sister who was getting in his way. Sometimes, I still feel like he treats me that way.”
“But if you hadn’t known him before, would you be interested?”
Ehliena shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe… He’s attractive, makes me laugh and strong in his personality without needing to use it against me, but I don’t know if I could handle his ambition… Deanna let him go once – because of his career ambitions - and then took him back, I don’t know if I could do that.”
“So you wouldn’t date someone in Starfleet?”
Ehliena laughed, “I didn’t say that – my father was a Starfleet officer – and like many girls, my head can be turned by a man in uniform. I don’t think I would be able to just wait like Deanna did. Geordi’s parents very rarely got together – sometimes they had the whole galaxy between them, I wouldn’t want that. I would want to be closer to my man and if our careers wouldn’t permit that, I don’t know if I could see things through.”
“Would you give up your career for him?” Horatio was surprised by Ehliena’s admission and wanted to know more.
Ehliena took a deep breath, “I honestly don’t know, probably I’d try and get a posting nearby so we could be close – if not together – but give up completely… That’s difficult to answer, I guess if the relationship were that strong – if we wanted a family, I might consider it.”
For a moment they both sat quietly, each lost with their own thoughts, Horatio glanced at Ehliena wondering where to take the conversation next. For some reason she seemed more open than he had ever seen her before and he was learning more about her – re-enforcing his own feelings towards the empath.
Ehliena caught the glance and gave an amused smile. “What is it?”
Horatio sighed, “We’ve never spoken like this before.”
“You’ve never asked for my help or advice like this before…” Ehliena paused for a moment wanting to explain her words. “For the last couple of days I’ve sensed that you’ve been trying to work things out in your mind – but not finding answers. I knew that if you did come to me with questions I’d better be ready.”
Horatio chuckled, “Ah – so you are counselling me then.”
Ehliena blushed, “In a way. Yes, but as I’m partly to blame for you being who you are, it’s only fair that I try and help you get some answers.”
“So can I ask more questions?”
Ehliena smiled softly, “If it would help you to sort out your mind, but I’m not guaranteeing that I can answer them.”
Horatio sat up a little straighter, he’d never seen this side of Ehliena before, more open, more confident, yet still sensitive enough to watch out for another’s feelings. He was intrigued by the difference and wondered how many more layers of Ehliena’s character he would need to peel away to get to her inner most self.
“So we were talking about friends… and relationships…” Ehliena nodded, “What about Worf? Do mixed species relationships bother you?”
Ehliena roared with laughter, “With my parents being mixed, do you think it would? Definitely not – just the way a person looks should not be a barrier – the trouble there is in the cultural differences. Can both couples accept their partner’s point of view if it is caused by a cultural trait? If they can, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Her face softened slightly, “You mentioned Worf for example. I can’t help admitting that my feelings for him have changed over the time I’ve been here. At first he scared me – he always looks so fierce and the seriousness he has is quite daunting. However, as I’ve got to know him, he has become one of the people I admire most on this ship. His sense of ‘honour’ – and trying to do the right thing, even when it sometimes goes against his Klingon heritage makes me wish there were more like him around.”
“Seeing him with Alexander shows a different side of his nature too. To form a relationship though? No… Most Klingons like a mate that challenges them – and I am not that type. Competitive at sport, or logic games, yes, but in love… No… That’s not for me. I know Worf would never hurt me, but his strength still scares me. Don’t get me wrong, I like a man to be strong, as do most girls, but I need someone who can understand me more.”
Horatio narrowed his eyes, a few things that Ehliena had said were sorting themselves out in his mind, giving him hope that maybe he wasn’t wrong about how she might react when he spoke about his own feelings.
“It sounds as though the man who wins your heart is going to have to be pretty special…”
Ehliena blushed and dropped her head, trying to block her emotions from leaking out. Somehow Horatio had got her talking about some of her most private thoughts, those she locked away tightly inside. “Not really – I know that the characteristics and personality that I look for is not present in everyone, so one day I will have to choose between the idealistic and realistic… Lets face it – I’m not the perfect match for anyone either.”
Horatio raised an eyebrow, “Are you serious? Most of the men on this ship think you’re adorable…”
Ehliena swatted a hand at him, “Yes, I know – the ideal girl to take home to mother… But most are afraid to ask me out – now why would that be? Certainly not my rank. My Betazed heritage? Possibly… But after nearly eighteen months on the Enterprise, no-one has asked me out.”
“Why?”
Ehliena shrugged, “I don’t know, they might be looking for someone more exciting – like Ro Laren, or they perceive me to be someone different. The fact that I can read their minds certainly puts them off.”
“But you would never do that, unless they gave you permission.”
Ehliena sighed, “You know that – so do several others, but it’s still what they think. I guess that’s the one thing I hate most of all. People prejudging me. One day I wish someone would look beyond my heritage and my gifts and see me for who I am.” She fell silent and Horatio said nothing sensing that Ehliena had opened up an old wound that had not totally healed.
Ehliena in return appreciated Horatio’s silence, she didn’t really want to talk about her own feelings any more, but also didn’t want to push Horatio away. She had been doing that all too often recently and she wasn’t being fair to him, wasn’t being the friend she had promised to be.